Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1887-12-12
SPECUlsTlRSSCORED
DOCTOR TALMAoE's PLsIs TAX
a. sp<se Upsa re bysecrssr ~ tsS
Hsrla 80 deaera1 fhe - sAoaessy -
Gsxtfus " eais1 De uleed q
Tho4essst >csuadssEs - as3las 81
the ChaxeA - Oae taslae.

-lti Llt-.o. t-is city. 60 Too Alts va
About hn4A Ihiags His text ~as. ~xs
hii41 gzi.ies. waieA STRAIN a1 a ga4E snd
se44l2~ a c4snsl MAJ KIN, "A 1hs
sAosi asnt presrheE sai,i.
a PFoFeFb = compact wisdom. kn0~iedgs
n. e1unks, library IN a sezEsnce. the cleo
tgtcity a many clouds discaarged "a 01s
ssit. riser pas taroagn aln raes. When
~kEisr q1Dtes the prosei8 cf ths text he
ulsa4s . sst forth tEs illlerolas behavior u
those 40 nazs great siiister slolIt sni4H
sins ana hage 40 aFFrees4lIpa O. great onss
Ia ms text snisl il1sect <i-a a large quad
Fuped are brought into cOsnparison "a gnas
and = camel 4ou nave IA museum or GA the
desert seen the latter a great awkward,
sFsaeliHs creature, vita back ts0 stories
hisa, and ss0saaeh aafAs a eOlectiOn q
RESERVOIRS for desert travel an animal for
bidlien 70 she jews As food. and IN many
htsraturss entitled 'ths saip Of the desert"
The glat spokrn * In the text Is in the grub
form. II Is Lozn Ia pool o. poaa. after few
weeks becomes a cnrysllls. ard then after
few days beeomes the gnst IS ue recognize
IT, But ths insect spoken cf Ia the text i in
its very smallest shape. and il yet inhabits
the watsr-for nay text is a misprint, aud
oas ht - read, strain odt gust.
ny text SHOWS yog the prlEce Of inconsis-
te4lcies. A man after iOag observation has
formed the saspici3 81 thar in a cup OF water
be Is about o. driak thore IS a grub or the
gTand parent q gnat Re goes and gets
sieve Or stgainer Iis takes the water aud
pours il Through TIE sieve ia the broad light.
lie avs. # would rather 40 anything almos.
than drink This water untii tAis larva be eK-
tirpated" Ihis water Is brought under in
QUESTION The experiment j. successful The
water rushes through tho sieve and leaves
against the side Of the sieve the grub or gnat.
Then the nan carefully removes the insect
sad drinks the water In placdity But going
out one day, and hungry, he devoGrs ship
OK the desert the camel, which the Jews
we're forbidden 10 eat The astronomer has
no conlpunctions 81 conscience He suffers
from no indigestion. he puts the lower jaw
under the camels fore foot, and his upper
Jaw over the hump OF the camel's back, and
gives one swallow and the dromesiary disap-
pears forever. tie strained cut a gnat; he
swallowed a camel
While Christ's audience were yet smiling
at the sppositeness and wit OF his illustration
for smils they did ia church unless they
were TOO stupid 70 understand the hyperbole
Christ practically said 10 them: That 10
you" Pslncti'ious about small things; reck-
less about Affairs OF great magnitude. No
subject ever wishered under surgeons knife
more bitterly thar did ths Phsrisees under
Christs scalpel Of truth. As an anatosnist
VIA take a human soay TO pieces and put
them under a microscope for examination, so
Chris, finds his way 10 the heart OF the dead
Fharisce and cuts il oat and puts IL under the
glass OF inspection for al generations 10 sx-
anime Those Pharis>ss thought that Christ
would hatter them and compliment them,
and how they must have writhed under tho
r-sihot words as he said; "Ye fools, re whited
sepulchres, We blind guides, which strain out
a gnat and swallow camel
There are in our day great many gnats
strained out and great many camels swal-
lowed, and IL is the object OF this sermon TO
sketch a few persons who are extensively en-
gagged in that business
First | remark that ell those ministers OF
the Gospel are photographed in the text who
ere very scrupuious about the CONVENTIONAL
ties OF religion, but put no particular stress
/ upon matters Of vast importance. Church
services ought TO be grave and solemn. There
is no room for frivohty in religious convoca-
/ tioa Pit there are illustrations and there
are hvperboles like that Of Christ in the text
that viii irradiats with smiles any intelli-
| gent auditory. There are men like those blind
l guides Of the text who advocate only those
/ things in religious service which draw the
corners Of the mouth down. and denounce all
| those things which have tendency to draw
the corners OF the mouth up, and these men
/ viii 90 to installations and to presoyteries
and to conferences and 20 associations, their
| pockets full OF fine sleeves to strain out the
l -. hi 81, - hr,.
| every sunday there are fifty people sound
/ asleeD They make their churches a great
| dormisorv, and their son1niferous sermons
are cradle. and the drawled out hymns a
lullaby. while some wakefui soul in a pew
with her fan keeps the flies or unconscious
persons approximate. Nov, say il is worse
10 sleep in church than 20 smile IN church,
for the latter implies at least attention,
while toe former implies the indifference
OF the hsarsrs and the stupidity Of the
speaker. In old age, or from physical
infrmity, or from long watching with
the SEX. drowsness will sometimes over
power one: but when minister Of the Cos
pei looks or upon an audience and ENDS
healthy and intelligent people struggling
with arowsiness Il a time for him to givs
on. she doxolory or pronounce tbe benedic
tion. The great fault Of church services to
dav Is not too much vivscity, bat too much
sonnoience The ons i an irritating gnai
that may DO easily strained out, the ether i
a great. sprawling and sleepy eyed camel Of
the dry desert. Tn al our Sabbath schools
in all our Bible classes, in al cur puipits, ~
need - brighten mp our religious message
with such Christ Ike vivacity as we find il
the text
take down from my library the biogra
phiss Of ministers and writer's II past ages
/ insui-ra and uuinspira,i, who have done th'
most 60 brinE souls 20 Jesus Christ. and
fra that without a single exception they con
+ serrated their VS. s3ll tbeir HI NOR to Christ
Elijah ussd Is ST. her BE- sdvis-d the Baalites
a. they could not make their God respond
telling them 20 call louder IS Their G0'
might te sound asieep or gone a-luf,slng
JOB used it when he said 20 has SELF conceite
r-rnforters. w isd0m viii dis with you
Chrst not only used st IN the tevt. but whe'
~ ironically cemplimeated tie putrefie'
Frarissps. saving. The whole need not
phvsiciaa.r and when BY Que word he d
: srribsd the cunning q Herod. saving. &C
; - ard tsII chat fox Matthew Henri
J commentaries from tie first pags 70 "a
l1st ro~usra-=I with humor as summG
cioads with heat ard lightning. joan Bar
/ ysas writings arr a. fua - huusor as the
, ar. 81 saving truth. and there = not "a az
: / man here vhe has evsr rad Pilgrims Pr
, / KraSs- who dos nsx remember tasf wi
7 re,uiinz it Be smiled ss cffesl - ~ Vsr'
] / Ca-vsostorn. George Herbert. Robert -sauss
! joan n eslev. George Whissfeid. 1ersEa
Tsrio~. Pryslsnd H'iI George q Finre7 sr
ca a.ea ~ Re rsss who greatly s.ivsnce
~ ksax-i,7n ~ esI consecrst-d taeir =
| - .h.l- k-lr.,r Z, tie carse 81 lhrIst 3